Category Archives: Outdoor world

Which is best?

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Yellow leavesThis morning outside my bedroom window I saw the usual leafy-green canopy but something else caught my eye: a branch of bright yellow leaves. Like it or not, fall is coming. I’ve always been a summer girl, but I guess every season has its grandeur, and it’s wise to recognize that.

Lately I’ve been trying to do the same with the seasons of life, recognizing the positives of each stage. Most of us have to fight wanting to be in a season other than the one we’re in, starting with childhood. Which of us didn’t long to be one year older than we always were? The privileges and perks of older ages seemed like carrots in front of a horse, forever just out of reach.

One more birthdayAt the other end of years we wish we were young again, facing the future with what we’ve learned in the decades since. Mom used to say, “I’m a 25-year-old trapped in a 90 year old body.” If wishing made it so, she’d have “stuck” at 25.

Why is it so hard to find contentment where we are? The answer is in a great quote I read the other day: “We need to get rid of expectations that don’t fit into this season of life.” It’s all about accurate expectations.

When we’re 45 years old and (as Dad used to say) “running the rat race,” it’s logical our time will be tightly budgeted, we’ll be working long hours, and our commitments will be many. When we’re 85, we’ll have to figure out how to use all the extra time we have. Different seasons require different expectations.

Wise people plan ahead for seasonal changes by figuring out what realistic expectations they should have. Then they think and act accordingly.

All of us have seen people unwilling to admit which life season they belong to. The other day at the beach I saw a woman close to the end of her winter age-season. She was wearing a micro-bikini, and it was difficult not to stare. I wished I could have heard the logic behind her choice of swimwear, but surely it was somehow connected to false expectations.

Scripture has interesting examples of God’s instructions to people in different seasons of life. For example, in Numbers 8 he says, “Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist…. but they themselves must not do the work.” (vv. 24-26)

That wasn’t to say God’s plans for the 50 year olds weren’t good ones though. He was just stating that he expected different things from people in different seasons. It wasn’t about right or wrong, good or bad, superior or inferior but only about different expectations.

Hint of fallAs for those yellow leaves outside my window? They hint that a new season is about to arrive. And my expectation is that it’ll be beautiful.

“Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have.” (Ecclesiastes 6:9)

 

Careful Watching

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This afternoon I watched 5 young children race down the dune and into Lake Michigan’s gentle waves without a moment’s hesitation or a backward glance. Although they seemed to be in the 6-8 year range, no adult was following. No one was shouting, “Wait till I get there!”

Watching them cavort in chin-deep water, I was reminded of my own childhood and similar unsupervised water play at the same beach. When Mary and I grew up and had children ourselves, they also splashed freely there from sun-up to sun-down.

Whenever we had young babies, we’d arrive at the beach on the “early shift” so that by mid-afternoon our little ones could be back home for naps. If Mom was at the cottage too, she was always willing to listen for the nappers so Mary and I could head back to the waterfront alone.

One summer afternoon in 1975, while our little ones were sleeping with their grandma in charge, Mary and I went back to the beach to luxuriate in some time without any children. All of a sudden Mary said, “Hey… Look down the beach. Isn’t that Nelson and Julia wading into the water?”

Nelson and Julia

Sure enough, the 2 two-year-olds we’d put to bed not long before were wading into the water dressed in their cloth diapers and rubber pants. We ran down and collected them, then headed home to get the story from Mom.

“They weren’t tired,” she said, “and wanted to go back to the beach. So I pointed them in the right direction and hoped they’d find you.”

This meant walking 5 blocks (and making two correct turns), climbing a big dune (paved), and walking down 100 concrete steps to the sand where we were sitting amidst many others. Somehow these little ones did that, though it was unsettling watching them walk into the water unaccompanied.

Steps

But then again, it was typical Mom. When we asked if she’d been worried they might not make it, she said, “Oh, but they did.”

This grandma was a risk-taker. She’d sent them off “hoping” they’d reach the beach and find us, but if not, “hoping” another mother would step in and help. And behind all of that shaky logic, she believed Julia and Nelson had guardian angels watching over them.

God is not a risk-taker like Mom was. He doesn’t have to be, because he’s omniscient. He’s 100% capable of watching over children because his future knowledge is complete. Mom “hoped” everything would work out, but she wasn’t sure. God, on the other hand, is always sure. And he has legions of angels to do his bidding.

As for that little gang of young swimmers I saw today, I watched for quite a while. Somewhere an adult was probably “hoping” they’d be OK at the beach, and amazingly, it all worked out fine.

“Be careful that you never despise a single one of these little ones — for I tell you that they have angels who see my Father’s face continually in Heaven.”  (Matthew 18:10)

Dazed for Days

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The storm forms.Oklahoma is not OK. After Monday’s 2 mile wide, 210 mph tornado tore through a suburb of Oklahoma City, a 22 square mile piece of civilization was no more. News reports this morning used the word “dazed” in reference to the way citizens were feeling. After viewing photos, I see why.

Oklahoma is famous for frequent tornadoes, but no one could say they’d ever seen one like this. Even storm chasers, familiar with nature’s fury, were suffering from PTSD when it was over. “People are wandering around like zombies,” reporter Scott Hines said. “It’s like they’re not realizing how to process what just happened.”

Rescued!

Although two schools and a large medical center were beyond repair, thankfully the death toll wasn’t as severe as originally feared. But even for those who came through the storm without injury, recovery will take time. As one parent said, “I’m speechless. How did this happen? Why did this happen? How do we explain this to the kids?”

“Devastating” is too mild a word. Pictures and videos of the event told the miserable tale of destruction, but one photo was different than all the others:                                a cemetery picture.

Cemetery

Although the grass was littered with debris from the land of the living, the buried-dead remained untouched. But had the tornado ripped them from the ground, it wouldn’t have mattered to them. On May 20, those who’d already died were untouchable, even by a monster-size F5 tornado. They’d already taken up residence elsewhere, and for those in heaven, that day was like any other: safe and sound.

Once we’ve died, whatever is taking place on earth quickly fades. I think of the 24 souls who left the earth during Monday’s tornado and hope they’re all with Jesus Christ. If so, their safety concerns are over. No PTSD for them, no coping with lost homes or possessions. Stressing over where to live while their homes are rebuilt isn’t a problem, and they’re guaranteed never to experience another tornado.

Mom often said, “Know your bottom line.” She was sure of where she’d be after death and frequently said she wished it was “today”. Monday was the “today” for 24 people who were (we hope) lifted from that fearsome storm straight into glory. What a dramatic change! Of course it’ll be dramatic even if we’re taken out of this world on an ordinary day.

But those 24? They’ll be dazed for days, too…. but for a much different (and much better) reason.

“The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)